Spike Lee's Oldboy Gets Distributor And Reveals Synopsis

Spike Lee's remake of the Korean revenge classic Oldboy may or may not do justice by the original, or be as good as Lee's best work, or even be any good at all. But like most everything else Lee makes, it's almost guaranteed to be worth a look, and now FilmDistrict has guaranteed you'll get a chance to see it.

The upstart distributor, which previously brought you the surprise hit Insidious and the arty favorite Drive, announced today that they have picked up the United States distribution rights to Oldboy, which they say is set for an expected 2013 release date. They also included a synopsis that gives us some hints at how this new version of the story will differ from the original:

OLDBOY follows the story of an advertising executive (Josh Brolin) who is kidnapped and held hostage for 20 years in solitary confinement without any indication of his captor’s motive. When he is inexplicably released, he embarks on an obsessive mission to discover who orchestrated his bizarre and torturous punishment only to find he is still trapped in a web of conspiracy and torment. His quest for revenge leads him into an ill-fated relationship with a young social worker (Elizabeth Olsen) and ultimately to an elusive man (Sharlto Copley) who allegedly holds the key to his salvation.

If you've never seen the original Oldboy, I don't want to say too much about the plot for fear of spoiling some of its spectacular twists and surprises. But basically, yeah, there do seem to be some significant differences here, and Lee himself has promised that he'd change up the story from the Park Chan-wook original.